Drive for machinery.



S. H. HALL.

DRIVE FOR MACHINERY. APPLICATION FILED 050.21, 1912.

'1 86,982 Patented June 13, 1916.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

12E O) 0 N S. H.'HALL. DRIVE FOR MACHINERX. APPLICATION FILED 0Ec.2|. x912.

Patented June 13, 1916.

2 snsns-suzer 2.

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE DE LAVAL SEPA- A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

DRIVE FOR MACHINERY.

Application filed December 21, 1912. Serial N 0.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SELDEN H. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful .Improvements in Drives for Machinery, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. 7

My invention relates to improvements in drives for machinery and has for its object to produce a drive which will automatically prevent such shocks for machines, for in stance, cream separators, liable to be injured by sudden harmful shocks such as those from a gas engine having a light fly wheel.

In carrying out my invention, I make use of a yielding-idler acting upon an otherwise loose driving belt. Idlers acting llpon driving belts have heretofore been use as to make contact with the slack side of the belt. if a sudden increase occurs in the speed of the pulley driving the belt, the working part of the belt will become more taut and the slack side will become longer. This will allow the idler to move inward and increase the length of contact with the pulleys and make it more difficult for the belt to slip. Inasmuch as with such an arrangement the driving side of the belt does not give to any considerable extent, and the slipping on the pulleys, if anything, lessened, the sudden increase of. the speed of driving pulley imparts a shock to the machinery. Idlers have also been used on the tight side of belts, but not in such a manner as to automatically, produce a substantially uniform belttension.

In carrying out my invention, I place a yielding idler so that it contacts with the tight or working side of'the belt. When in this position, a sudden increase in speed of the driving pulley will force the idler to yield so as to loosen the belt and prevent a sudden corresponding increase in belt tension, thereby lessening the shock due to the resulting strain upon the tight side of the belt. When the idler contacts with the outer surface of the tight side of the belt an increase in speed not only causes the idler to move so as to result in reducing theshock transmitted through the tight side, but also, on account of the straightening out of the With the idler in this position,

pings, l is Specification of Letters Patent.

tight side, decreases the surfaces over which the belt makes contact with the pulleys. At

the same time, the slack more slack will further contact, such decreases permitting the belt to slip more easily and to relieve the driven machine to a greater degree from shocks due to lrregular speed of the driving pulley than was the case in connection with idlers making contact with the slack side. In carrymg out my invention I preferably also mount the idler on a lever so disposed that as the belt straightens, the effective lever arm on which the belt acts increases. If a spring or the like is used to keep the idler in contact with the belt, I preferably so connect it that the lever arm on which it acts decreases as the belt straightens.

The following is a description of an embodiment of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying. drawings, in which, 7 I

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 shows in side elevation an enlarged detail of the side having become decrease the arcs of preferred embodiment of my drive; and,

Fig. 3 shows in side elevation a modification of the same,

Patented June 13, 1916. I

Referring more particularly to the drawa driving pulley which may be to be directly considered connected to a 4 is an idler carried by a frame 5, pivotally mounted on a bearing 6. This bearing is so located that if the belt 3 were straight on both sides, it would be without the area bounded by the belt. The arm 5 is provided with a projection 7, to which is connected one end of a spring 8, the other end of said spring being connected to an anchorage 9. The projection 7 is preferably located a little nearer the axis on the idler 4 than it; is to the axis of the bearing 6 and, with the parts in the positions shown in full lines, is

arm 5 from the anchorage 9. With this arrangement, a tightening of the belt causes theidler to. move so as to tend to bring the end of the projection 7 to that side of the journal 6 which is opposite the anchorage9; that is, to move the frame 5 to a point-where the actionof the spring 8 will be on-a dead center. The parts are so proportioned that if the belt3 were straight on both sides, this dead center condition would be produced as shown in dots. It is obvious, however, that in practice the belt wouldnever be so tight as to be straight. 4

In the form shown in Fig. 1, a sudden increase in the speed ofthe ,pulley 1 causes the lower or tight side of the belt 3 to straighten, moving the idler 4 downward, thus relieving somewhat the shock due to the sudden increase in speed, and also perstill more loose, so

mitting the loose side of the belt to become that it is more likely to slip upon the pulleys 1 and 2. Again, when the belt stretches, the idler will move to take it up. Since such movement will result in acts through an increase in the effective leverarm on which the spring 8 acts, and a decrease in the effective lever arm on wh'chthe belt 3 the idler to oppose the spring, with the result that when a proper constant there will be a nearly uniform tension in the working side of the belt throughout substantially the -whole possible rangg of variations in the ion th of the wor 'ng side. Whenv the worklng side is substantially straight the lever arm on a which the spring works is substantially zero,

, the beltwhile during the so-that the idler exerts but little force upon straightening of the belt the lever arm on which the .belt acts has been steadily increasing.

' .were straight, the effective lever substantially spring acts claims.

' arm 5' carrying with the inside In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the

the idler 4 is mounted so as to move? about the axis of the driven pulley 2., the spring 8 being connected to the anchorage 9' in such a manner that, if the belt would be on a dead center. With this the. idler 4' .makes contact of the tight side of the belt asshown, and when the driving speed increases suddenly, is'moved upward by the straightening .of the tight side of the belt; the belt the arrangement,

increasing and the lever arm on which the has been decreasing. This straightening loosens the belt, relieves the initial shock and accomplishes some of the if dvantages of my invention in its preferred orm.

Aswill be evident/to those skilled in the art, myinvention permits of various other modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended WhatI claim is:

1. In an automatic belt-tension regulatdriving pulley, a loosely connecting said pulleys, a movably mounted idler adapted to make contact with the tight side only of the belt, a frame carrying said idler, a spring adapted to move said frame so as to maintain said idler in yielding engagement with said tight side and automatically permit said belt to loosen upon sudden increase in the speed of the driving pulley so as to slip, a drivenapparatus and a prime moverso related to the driven apparatus as to make slipping of the belt desirable upon sudden increase in speed of the prime mover,

2. In an automatic belt-tension regulating machinery drive, the combination of a driving pulley, a driven pulley, a belt loosely connecting said pulleys, a movably mounted idler adapted to make contact with the ing machinerydrive, the combination of-a driven pulley, a belt tight side only of the belt, a frame carrying said idler, a spring adapted to move said frame so as to maintain said idler in yielding engagement with said tight side and automatically permit said belt to loosen upon sudden increase in the speed of the driving pulley so asto slip, and a shock producing prime mover.

3. In an automatic ing machinery drive, driving pulley, a loosely connecting said pulleys, a movably mounted idler. adapted to make contact with the tight side only of the. belt, a frame carrying said idler, a spring adapted to move said frame so as to maintain said idler in yielding engagement with said tight side and automatically perm't said belt to loosen upon sudden increase in the speed of the driving pulley so as to slip, a shock producbelt-tension regulatthe combination of a ing prime mover, and a driven apparatus driven pulley, a belt which should-not be subjectedto sudden shocks. I

4. In an automatic belt-tension regulating machinery drive, the combination of a driven pulley, a driving pulley, necting said pulleys, a movably mounted idler engaging the tight side only of said belt, a pivoted lever carrying said idler and free to automatically yield to permit tight side to straighten, the fulcrum of sand lever being so 1 fcated of the belt straightens arm of the lever carrying the belt acts increases.

5. In an automatic belt-tension regulating machinery drive, the combination of a driven pulley, a driving pulley, a belt connecting said pulleys, a movably mounted idler engaging the tight side only of said belt; a pivoted lever carrying said idler, the fulcrum of said lever being so located that as the tight side of the belt straightens the the effective lever the idler on which a belt consaid that as the tight side driven pulley,

means acting on said lever for holding said idler in automatically yielding engagement with said belt.

6. In an automatic belt-tension regulating machinery drive, the combinationv of a driven pulley, necting said pulleys, a movably mounted idler engaging the tight side only of said belt, a pivoted lever carrying said idler, the fulcrum of said lever being so located that as the tight side of the belt straightens the eflective ever arm of the lever carrying the idler on which the belt acts increases, and means acting on said idler in. automatically yielding engagement with said belt, the eifective lever arm on which said means acts decreasing as the effective lever arm on which the belt acts increases.

7 In an automatic machinery drive, the combination of a a driving pulley, a belt connecting said pulleys, a movably mounted idler engaging the tight side only of said belt, a pivoted lever carrying said idler, the fulcrum'of said lever being so located that as the tight side of the belt straightens the effective lever arm of the lever carrying the idler on which the belt acts increases, and a spring acting on said lever for holding said idler in automatically yielding engagement with said belt.

8. In an automatic belt-tension regulating machinery drive, the combination of a driven pulley, a driving pulley, a belt connecting said pulleys, a movably mounted idler engaging the tight side only of said belt, a pivoted lever carrying said idler, the fulcrum of said lever being so located that as the tight side of the belt straightens the effective lever arm of the lever carrying the idler on which the belt acts increases, and a spring acting on said lever for holding said idler in automatically yielding engagement with said belt, the effective lever arm on which said spring acts decreasing as the effective lever arm on which the belt acts increases. a

9. In an automatic belt-tension regulating machinery drive, the combination of a driven pulley, a driving pulley, a belt connecting said pulleys, a movably mounted idler engaging the outer surface of the tight side only of said belt, a pivoted lever carrying said idler, the fulcrum of said lever being so located that as the tight side of the belt straightens the efiective lever arm of the lever carrying the idler on which the belt acts increases, and means acting on said lever for holding said idler in automatically yielding engagement with said belt.

10. In an automatic belt-tension regulating machinery drive, the combination of a driven pulley, a driving pulley, a belt connecting said pulleys, a movably mounted a driving pulley, a belt conlever for holding said belt-tension regulating k idler engaging the outer surface of the tight side only of said belt, a pivoted'lever carrying said idler, the fulcrum of said lever being so located that as the tight side of the belt straightens the effective lever arm of the lever the belt acts increases, and a spring acting on saidlever for holding said idler in automatically yielding engagement with said belt, the effective lever arm on which said spring acts decreasing as the efi'ective lever arm on which the belt acts increases.

11. In an automatic. belt-tension regulating machinery drive, the combination of a driven pulley, a driving pulley, a belt connecting said pulleys, a movably mounted idler engaging the tight side only of said belt, a pivoted lever carrying said idler,'the fulcrum of said lever being so located that as the tight side of the belt straightens the effective lever-arm of the lever carrying the idler on which the belt acts increases, and means acting on said lever for holdingsaid idler in automatically yielding engagement with said belt, the effective lever arm on which said means acts decreasing. as the effective lever arm on which the belt acts increases, the fulcrum of. said lever being outside the area that would be bounded by said belt if both sides were substantially straightand on the same side of said surface as said idler.

12. In an automatic belt-tension regulating machinery drive, the combination of a driven pulley, a driving pulley, a belt connecting said pulleys, a movably mounted bell), a

the fulcrum of said lever being so located 7 that as the tight side of the belt straightens the effective lever arm of the lever carrying the idler on which the belt acts increases, and means acting on said lever for holding said idler in automatically yielding engagement with. said belt, said means acting substantially on a dead center when said tight side is straight. g

13. In combination, a cream separator, a driving source therefor, a flexible connection between said separator and driving source,- and means engaging the taut side of said flexible connection for absorbing impulses transmitted from said driving source.

let. In combination, a separator, pulsating driving means, a belt connecting said separator and said driving means, and a spring pressed pulley engaging the taut side of said belt to absorb impulses transdriving pulley,

loosely connecting said pulleys, a movably mounted idler ada ted to make contact with the tight side on y of the belt, a pivoted frame carrying said idler, a spring adapted to move said frame so as to maintain said idlerin yielding engagement with said tight side and automatically permit said belt to loosen upon sudden increase in the speed of the driving pulley so as to slip, said spring being so located that theefi'ective length of the lever on which the spring acts shortens as the side of the belt on which the idler bears straightens, a driven apparatus and a prime mover so related to the driven apparatus as to make slipping of the belt desirable upon sudden increase in speed of the prime mover.

a driven pulley, a belt- 16. The combination of a driving pulley,

a driven pulley, a belt loosely connecting 20 rator through said pulleys and belt.

SELDEN I-l. HALL.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH J. MAHER, HARRY C. BADSLIN.

-arator, said gas engine driving said sepa- 30, l 

